San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-11-04
THREE Elton BOYS.
BY W. E. NORRIS.

tentions had been OF a most modest ana
tentative order. He had a poor opinion of
his personal charms, and preferred the
agony Of suspense 10 the risk Of rejection.
] am afraid must plead guilty TO having
encouraged his difiidence. To confess the
truth, | thought il was upon the cards
that so captivating a young lady as Miss
Turner might chance upon somebody in
London whose claims 10 her regard might
be greater than poor Jim's. But such did
not prove TO be the case. Five thousanda
year is not colossal income, yet If you
will take the trouble to run over the list of
your acquaintance, you will find that the
bachelors who possess as much are in a
small minority; and IL seems possible that
Hilda may have made that calculation.
And so, one fine hot month of July,
when Cranheld rectory, embosomed
amongits spreading trees, looked the very
spot for enacting a pastoral idyl; when
the great level lawns at Staines Court were
gay with flowers, which there was nobody
but the gardeners to admire, and when our
own humble domain was, as my mother,
who took immense pride in it, declared,
quite q show" il came TO pass that two
young people were constantly to be seen
riding or walking together among the
lanes and woods, of whom it might be said
that they formed very handsome couple.
Not that our big-boned, road-shouldered
Jim, with his hooked nose his quiet gray
eyes and that large mouth of his, which,
upon the smallest provocation would
widen itself into q smile extending from
ear to ear, was strictly speaking a hand
some man, but perhaps he was near
enough being so to justify the above good
natured description, which was uttered
by many persons, the Rev. Simeon Tur-
ner included. The Rev. Simeon was not
ambitious. A son-in-law with 5000 a
year, a high moral character, and a
malleable disposition was good enough
for him.
l was then about to be called to the
bar, and was busy reading law, a study
which thought at the time, and think
still, to be among the most repulsive
that moderately intelligent human
being can bring his mind to bear upon.
One afternoon, while / was sitting with
somebody's Common Law Procedure"
and / forget whose "Precedents Of Plead
ings" open before me, Jim lounged into
my den, and, seating himself sideways
upon the table, remarked that he was
the happiest fellow in Christendom, or
something 10 that effect.
When you know that your friend is
absolutely bent upon making a fool of
himself, the very stupidest thing in the
world is to tell him so. l endeavored
to look delighted, and said, HAS she
accepted you, thenT'
"Well, no." he answered; 'she hasn't
exactly accepted me, for the reason that
I haven't asked her; but 1 think it will
be all right. Harry, old chap, don't
know what have done to deserve such
luckr'
Nor did l. / am quite sure that he
had never done anything to deserve it,
but the thing had come upon him, new
ertheless; and, after all, one sees many
prisoners who hug their chains content
eddy. "And why" I inquired, haven't
you proposed to her?''
Jim laughed. I'm such dufferl''
he replied. at takes me a long time
to get under way, and when 1 am COM
ing to the point she always manages
somehow or other to put me off. Well,
it doesn't much matter; there's no hurry,
you know"
None whatever" 1 agreed, thinking
to myself that, so long as the fatal words
remained unspoken, there was always
just the ghost of hope left for him.
And then he threw himself into my
arm chair, lighted q cigar and began to
rhapsodize after fashion which it would
be as tedious to write about as to read.